Calypso and Hip Hop Connections

I had a great class yesterday talking about Calypso and soca music. One of the videos I featured was a video with Lord Kitchener and Lord Pretender. They were talking about the difference between soca and Calypso. It reminded me of the lamentations of old school hip hop aficionados and their beef with today's hip hop. The criticism is that soca is focused mainly on the beat and less on the lyrics whereas Calypso is a lyrical art form that requires focus and training. Calypso like social conscious hip hop, is designed to educate as well as entertain. Much like the blues as well, Calypso interjects humor and sexual innuendo to engage the audience.

As is the case in many Afro-diasporic musics, battle culture is a key part of Calypso. The term "extempo" refers to the moment when a Calypsonian improvises lyrically and melodically. This is similar to when a hip hop artist freestyles. The most creative metaphors and anecdotes win the day and as Lord Pretender says, "separate the goat from the sheep and you will know that I'm a true, true Calypsonian."

Here's the video that I showed in class and also another clip from one of the early Calypsonians Lord Invader . I've also included a link to one of my favorite Calypso songs "Never Worry" by Lord Pretender.

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Dr.William E. Smith (W.E.S.) is an active
musician, producer, composer, author and educator who has released four albums
with his group, The W.E.S. Group, and has produced and recorded music for many
notable artists. He is a published author (Hip Hop as Performance and Ritual and How to Be an MC – CLS Publications,) and is the online ethnomusicology program coordinator at North Carolina
Central University.He also teaches
classes at Howard University.Prior to
that, he was an assistant professor of music and the jazz ensemble director at
American University in Washington, DC.

Aside from performing at
many jazz festivals and events in Anguilla, Bonaire, St. Lucia, California, New
York, United Kingdom, Morocco, India, and South Africa, Dr. Smith is an avid
composer.He has written music for TV
and film and has composed music for multimedia performances such as theater
performances and fashion shows.